Hydroxytyrosol in Olive Fruit

2022/02/17

Hydroxytyrosol is one of the essential polyphenol components in olive oil, also known as 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol, its structural formula is shown in Figure 1, and its molecular weight is 154.16g/mol. Pure hydroxytyrosol is a colorless yellow oil.

Among the various phenols available in the market, hydroxytyrosol is the only new resource food ingredient that has been authorized by the European Food Safety Authority as an oil and fat product and is recommended for addition to fish and vegetable oils. Hydroxytyrosol is mainly excreted in the form of hydroxytyrosol-3-sulfate, which is highly safe and does not have genotoxicity or mutagenicity.

Hydroxytyrosol is the most critical polyphenol component in olive fruit, and its efficacy is based on the antioxidant effect of polyphenols, combined with the characteristics of its molecular structure to exert other physiological functions, which are summarized as follows:

1. Heart Health

It is clinically proven beneficial for heart health, mainly by improving vascular endothelial function and reducing oxidized LDL cholesterol. Animal experiments have confirmed that heart health can improve blood lipids, improve atherosclerotic quality, increase antioxidant capacity, reduce high blood pressure, and thus protect the heart.

2. Anti-inflammatory effect

Hydroxytyrosol is a powerful phenolic antioxidant.

3. Antitumor

Research on its related principles found that the antitumor activity of hydroxytyrosol is mainly related to its ability to act as a ROS scavenger or its antioxidant system regulation.

4. Neuroprotective effects

Hydroxytyrosol has a solid ability to scavenge free radical species and induce antioxidant enzymes, which can improve some neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Hydroxytyrosol has a very significant inhibitory effect.

Hydroxytyrosol is an important polyphenolic substance in olive fruit. Its physiological activity is mainly due to the inhibition of various harmful reactions to the human body caused by antioxidants, so eating olive oil has a good health care effect.、